Blue Jays: GM Ross Atkins on trades, prospects, and team’s future

Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins says the team is satisfied with their current crop of position players and will try to improve their pitching depth.

Shortly after trading prized lefty J.A. Happ to the New York Yankees, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins spoke to the media and addressed some concerns that fans may have with the way that they’ve been conducting business as the trade deadline approaches.

On the subject of Brandon Drury, the utilityman who the Jays got back from New York, Atkins said that the Jays have “always liked Brandon”, further noting that his versatility and solid offensive numbers are an asset to the team as they move forward.

Drury reportedly spoke on the phone with Ross Atkins shortly after the trade became public knowledge. According to Lindsey Adler of the Athletic, Atkins told Drury that he’ll be in the Blue Jays lineup tomorrow night as the Jays take on the White Sox in Chicago.

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Many in the Blue Jays fanbase expressed immediate concern that the club has been stockpiling middle infielders, and has not been doing enough to rebuild their pitching depth in the lower minors. While Atkins would not name anyone specific, he said that the team would be focused more on pitching going forward.

As for future trades, the Blue Jays GM was rather tight lipped, not mentioning any players in particular that have been involved in trade talks. However, Atkins did mention that the Jays are not “actively talking” to anyone about their long-term assets at the moment.

Nothing’s for certain, but that comment probably shuts down the immediate possibility of young starter Marcus Stroman being dealt to the Atlanta Braves, as was rumoured to be possible by MLB Network’s Jon Morosi.

As much as the above comments were “media answers”, they do give us decent insight into the possible future route this team could be taking. While some might be disappointed with the return the Jays got for Happ, it still remains to be seen just how the Jays will utilize Drury and Billy McKinney, and until we know for sure, we’ll just have to wait and see.